PCOS Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: symptoms, infertility and treatment

By Beatriz Trigo BSc Psychology & Andreia Trigo BSc MSc Nursing 

September is PCOS Awareness month so we are helping raise awareness of this condition. PCOS stands for Polycystic ovary syndrome and is a very common condition, affects between 2% and 26% of women of reproductive age and often impairs fertility. Many women may have PCOS but don’t know about it. In one study, up to 70 percent of women with PCOS hadn’t been diagnosed. PCOS is characterised by:

• irregular or no periods periods, which means you are not ovulating regularly
• high levels of “male” hormones which means you may have excess hair
• polycystic ovaries, which means your ovaries become enlarged and contain many follicles

PCOS symptoms

PCOS is usually diagnosed in young women. Symptoms can include:

• difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular/failure ovulation
• irregular periods or no periods at all
• excessive hair growth (usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks)
• thinning hair and hair loss from the head
• weight gain
• oily skin

Treatment

Although there is no treatment for PCOS, you can manage the symptoms.

• Irregular periods and infertility can be managed with medication. If these don’t work, you can also have a surgical procedure (laparoscopic ovarian drilling) to improve fertility. With treatment, most women will be able to get pregnant.
• Weight gain can be managed with a healthy, balanced diet. This can improve some of the other symptoms as well.
• Excessive hair growth can be managed with medication.

Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Even though most women with PCOS find it difficult to get pregnant, with the right treatment, fertility can be improved. A healthy lifestyle, with a balanced diet alongside regular exercise can help improve PCOS symptoms and is the first line of treatment.

A food supplement of Inofolic has also been shown to help women with PCOS get pregnant.

Your doctor may also prescribe medication to regulate your cycles and ovulate regularly. Clomifene is the most common medication, and encourages a monthly release of an egg (ovulation).  Metformin is another medication that has an added benefit of regulating insulin resistance and reducing the risk of long term PCOS problems like high cholesterol and heart disease.

If oral medication doesn’t work, you can have medication injected or your doctor may suggest IVF. A surgical procedure – laparoscopic ovarian drilling – can also be recommended to improve fertility. This procedure uses  a laser to destroy the tissue in the ovaries that is producing androgens.

With treatment, most women with PCOS are able to get pregnant.

If you are trying to conceive and have PCOS, book a free phone consultation here to help you improve lifestyle for fertility. The consultation is with the awarded Nurse Consultant and NLP Coach Andreia Trigo, creator of the Enhanced Fertility Programme. It’s never too late to start your fertility support plan, why not start today?

About Andreia Trigo

Andreia Trigo RN BSc MSc is the founder of the Enhanced Fertility Programme, multi-awarded nurse consultant, fertility coach, author and TEDx speaker.  Combining her fourteen-year medical experience, CBT, NLP and her own eighteen-year infertility journey, she has developed unique strategies to help people undergoing similar challenges achieve their reproductive goals. The Enhanced Fertility Programme is helping people worldwide and has been awarded Best Innovation in Business 2018 and E-Business of 2018.